How to set up REL Subwoofer?



How do you set up a REL subwoofer [R-205] as far as the connection? This is only for 5.1 HT, watching movies (BD/DVD) and HDTV broadcasts, not for music playback.

I haven't received mine yet and this is also my first 5.1 HT system/sub. Glancing over the online manual leaves me a bit confused. I thought subwoofers used a single phono cable, but REL supplies and emphasizes use of their Neutrik Speakon High-Level cable. Is this the connection most REL owners use with a HT set up? I also got the impression that you can, or should, use the phono cable w/ .1/LFE input in conjunction with it. The A/V receiver is a Marantz SR5004.

Thanks
sakahara

Showing 1 response by mcbuddah

If you want to use High-Pass you should wire the speakon connector to the front L & R speaker posts. This will send the exact same signal to both the main speakers and the sub. Since both receive the same signal at the same instant in time, there is no phase loss as there is whenever the signal is sent to any additional processor - such as your receiver. If your Cary processor is setup as most 'n.1 or n.2' processors, then you have probably identified the front speakers as 'small' to indicate that you want all low frequency content directed instead to the processor tonvert it into a stream to output to the subwoofer output jack. This means that technically, you would have a superior signal path that preserves precious phase and time values but your sub would rarely or never see anything to play.

The only time it makes sense to choose to wire your sub to the binding posts of the amp is when you have all the signal going to the amplifier and the system has high enough resolution that phase distortion is audible.